The Economic Value of FFXIV: A study in utility

[Ehayte]

First, let me just say that I am going to make a few assumptions in this post, and that some of them you are not going to agree with. I gathered data for the most subjective of these values, the Entertainment Intensity figures. I just asked a few friends in-game, a few friends in real life, and a few family members, and took the approximate averages. So this is NOT my intensity table (my own EIntensity values are very different).

I went into this as objectively as possible, with the hypothesis that FFXIV, played in a mid-core style (10 hours / week) was going to be a very good value for the dollars spent. Subjectively, I was correct.

First, I assigned Entertainment Intensity Values to a few different categories of entertainment:

Video Game Stimulation: 4
Watching a movie/television: 2
Being with the opposite sex: 20
Physical Action (Sports): 12
Intoxication: 12

Next, I approximated the number of hours you could expect to be entertained by each of 9 activities that fit into those entertainment categories:

FFXIV: 40 (expressed monthly, as will be cost)
"Hit" new video game: 50
Going to the movies: 2
Buying a new DVD: 14 (over its lifetime)
Going on a date: 2.5
Recreational Softall: 12 (.75 hours per game, 16 games in a season)
Gym membership: 16 (1hr per day 4 days per week, expressed monthly as will be cost)
Drinking: 5
Cannibus: 10

Again, that is how long I would expect your average participant in those activities to be entertained by same. This is a lot more of my own approximation than any actual data gathering.

Then, I assigned a cost to each:

FFXIV: $18.33 ($15/mo + $40/12 for the license purchase spread out over 1 year)
"Hit" new video game: $60
Going to the movies: $10
Buying a new DVD: $20
Dinner and a movie: $75
Recreational Softall: $118 (League fees with a sponsor)
Gym membership: $70 (per month, as stated)
Drinking: $20 (assuming you don't drink piss water AKA US domestic lagers)
Smoking Illicit materials: $20

Pretty reasonable, I would hope.

Now, I made a unit value for each of this, which is the Entertainment Intensity Value multiplied by the hours you can expect to be entertained:

FFXIV: 160
"Hit" new video game: 200
Going to the movies: 4
Buying a new DVD: 28
Dinner and a movie: 50
Recreational Softall: 144
Gym membership: 192
Drinking: 60
Smoking Illicit materials: 120

Now, the fun part.

I calculated the cost per unit of these specific activities, I don't think you will be shocked:

FFXIV: $0.11
"Hit" new video game: $0.30
Going to the movies: $2.50
Buying a new DVD: $0.71
Dinner and a movie: $1.50
Recreational Softall: $0.83
Gym membership: $0.36
Drinking: $0.33
Smoking Illicit materials: $0.17

My conclusion, even if you make adjustments to these numbers, FFXIV is a great value for the dollars, all things considered. Even if I make the following adjustments to FFXIV's metrics:

VoE: 3
Hours/Month: 28
Cost/Month: $18.33

I still get a Cost per unit of $0.22/unit, only our hypothetical pot head comes close to rivaling the dollars per entertainment unit. You can do your own calculations of cost per entertainment unit with the formula:

Cost of Entertainment / (Intensity of Entertainment x Hours of Entertainment)

Just a fun little do-hicky. And something to think about when you complain about there not being enough content for you : D

As a post-script, if you wanted to draw a conclusion from this data, I guess you could say that based on the data gathered and assumptions, the group of people surveyed should spend more time playing FFXIV and less time going on dates!!! Cooties are gross!